


Served! An Adrinette AU!

by ArtlessMaroon



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Volleyball, Volleyball AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-21
Updated: 2016-07-26
Packaged: 2018-05-28 06:31:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6318394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtlessMaroon/pseuds/ArtlessMaroon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which our faves get to play volleyball. Now if there was only a crow miraculous.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1 - You Bought How Many Croissants?

**Author's Note:**

> Featuring:  
> Adrien "I'm-Always-A-Slut-For-Croissants" Agreste and Marinette "Actual Hinata Shoyo" Dupain-Cheng
> 
> I'm still looking for a steady beta reader to read over the chapters, so please contact me if you're interested. Seriously, please help. This chapter is pretty raw. Please feel free to point out errors in spelling or grammar.

Sweat, the squeak of exposed skin on a varnished floor, the familiar chorus of a volleyball meeting it’s mark on the ground a hundred times over, Marinette would always hold the sensations of volleyball close to her heart. She had began her experience just about 6 years ago, and though the sensations had overwhelmed her 12 year old self once, they were old friends in her eyes. Of course, she had literal friends that she could fondly recall as well.

Of course there was Alya, her best friend who had convinced her to join a team but ironically never seemed to be as passionate about it as Marinette herself. Of course Marinette was grateful for Alya’s support and management skills, but she’d love it if she’d be a little more serious about the sport. There was no chance she would say that, but she thought it on occasion.

Other teammates of Marinette’s included the surprisingly athletic, Rose, the unsurprisingly athletic, Kim, their powerful blocker Ivan, and their libero-

“Marinette!” The mellow yet shrill sound of her mother’s voice traveled up the stairs and broke Marinette’s volleyball reverie session. 

Marinette took a breath and then projected her voice in reply, “Yes, Mom?”

“All hands on deck!” 

That was code for, “come here, we have a hoard to feed.” 

Marinette took a final glance at the papers she had nodded off from, her university applications, and lept into action. She jogged down the stairs to the bakery, grabbed her personal pink apron from it’s hook, and adjusted her hair to man her station at the cash register. She would be handing the customers’ selected products and handling their payment while her mom and dad worked to replenish their inventory of baked goods. 

When Marinette found the time to look at the approaching crowd, she was actually quite surprised. Normally the crowds that would pass through the bakery were of the tourist variety. After all, what self respecting tourist could possibly visit Paris without trying a croissant or some macaroons? 

The cold hand of the winter weather had forced many citizens to give in and wear puffy coats that made them practically indistinguishable from each other and colored marshmallows, but it was clear that the approaching group was full of athletes. Maybe they were celebrating a recent win? Maybe trying to palliate the sting of a loss? At first it didn’t matter to Marinette, she only cared for their fair business, but as they filed in and she could hear their chatter, she realized that they weren’t just any team. They were a volleyball team.

Filled with excitement, Marinette tried her best to serve them and listen to their dialogue at the same time. They looked old enough to be in the same age division, but she couldn’t recognize any of their faces or voices.  
Eventually, a boy sporting a baseball cap and headphones struck up a polite conversation after apologizing for the size of their group. A conversational window had never been so elucidated for Marinette. She managed to turn the conversation to their team as she handed croissants to a blond boy next to the one with the headphones that had introduced himself as Nino.

“I play volleyball for the competitive recreational league in town, but I haven’t seen you guys before.”, she said it with a fairly inquisitive tone of voice and Nino grinned in response.  
He leaned on the counter and hushed his voice a small amount, “ We’re relocating. We actually got kicked out of our previous league because we were too good-”

“Nino!”, the blond teammate smacked Nino on the back of the head to quell his impropriety of a statement and then sighed, “Our league was disbanded. We’re from the other side of Paris and thought we’d come here to play.”  
Marinette almost forgot to laugh when she finally got a good look at Nino’s blond teammate. She couldn’t even bring herself to look him in his gorgeous green eyes for a second time so she stared down at his jacket and learned that his name was Adrien. It took her a good three seconds to formulate a response after she realized that she hadn’t properly responded.

“O-oh! That’s sad! Not that you’re here, that y-you’re league got disbanded, and I’d love to play with you- AGAINST you! I mean!” Marinette was a blundering mess. 

Lucky for her, blond boy Adrien didn’t seem to mind and simply grinned in response, pulling a folded paper out of his pocket, “We actually just got our schedule today after our first practice here. Which team are you on?” 

Marinette accepted the paper and choked out, “T-Team Ladybug.”, while skimming desperately to find when they would play each other: Next week, next Saturday. Oh, Marinette was going to be a mess. How could she possibly focus with a boy like that staring at her through the net? 

It was all she could do to hand him the paper and smile mildly. 

“Oh! We play each other next week! I guess we’ll see you then. That is, if these croissants don’t pull me back here. They’re delicious.” Adrien grinned and took a bite out of one of the five croissants he was holding.

Nino reached over and punched him on the shoulder, “There won’t be any to come back to if you eat them all, piggy.” 

Marinette stifled a giggle and accepted the currency Nino handed her, “Enjoy!” 

Even after the boys had all settled to much on their respective snacks, Marinette stayed behind the counter under the guise of cleaning and listened to their chatter. She learned that Nino was a wing spiker, that their team mascot was a cat, and they talked a lot about someone called…. “Dadzilla”? 

It took Marinette a few minutes to realize that she had stopped polishing the glass display case and had simply been squatting and watching the team over a row of cupcakes through the glass. She stood up quickly, slammed her head on a decorative pot and hissed in pain until she noticed Adrien standing in front of her with an amused expression.

“Are you alright?”, he questioned as he tried to stifle a good laugh.

Marinette blushed and rubbed the top of her head, “You’d be surprised how often that happens…”

Adrien smiled, “Maybe some redecorating is in order then. Anyways, I, uh, wanted to buy some croissants for the road.” With the question poised as a statement, he held out a few bills which Marinette took and set on the counter as she grabbed a bag to hold the desired pastries. 

As she bagged and rang up the croissants, she was internally kicking herself for not striking up some more conversation with the handsome volleyball player. As she met his gaze for the second time that evening, she tried not to squeal or drop the bag of croissants as she handed them to him along with his change. Oh goodness, he was gorgeous. Like some kind of model-

“Marinette? Are you alright? Did you hit your head too ha-”

She jumped in and stopped his query with some good old stuttering, “Yes, I-I uh, and no, I mean-”, she sighed, “I’m fine. Enjoy your croissants.”

Adrien set the croissants on the counter, “I will, thanks, but I think you gave me too many.” He opened the bag to reveal 15 croissants, “I definitely did not give you that much money.”

Oh if Marinette’s face wasn’t red before, it certainly was now. 

“Oh, um, uh, consider it a welcome gift!”, she exclaimed, “Welcome to our volleyball league!”

Adrien looked taken aback, “Thank you Marinette!”

It was Marinette’s turn to be taken aback, “H-how do you know my name?”

“You have a nametag on your apron.”, Adrien laughed and reached over the counter to shake hands, “Nice to meet you. I’m Adrien.”

Marinette smiled, “Likewise. See you next week.”

With a final grin over his shoulder, he followed his team out of the shop, Adrien called, “See you next week.”

~~

When they were out of the bakery, Nino nudged Adrien with his elbow, “Dude. I’m not sure what you should explain first, the amount of croissants in that bag or the goo-goo eyes that you were making at that girl.”

Adrien huffed indignantly and tried to fight the sprinkle of pink appearing on his cheeks, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

After several more punches from Nino and a stolen croissant, Adrien gave in. 

“Okay, okay. She plays volleyball and she’s cute. I was a little interested.”, Adrien sighed.

Nino smirked, “A little? Dude, you were talking to her forever. You should’ve seen your face-OOMPH!”

Adrien blinked as Nino was suddenly on the ground and covered by brunette with glasses.

“So sorry! I wasn’t paying attention!”, the girl scrambled to get off of Nino and recover her fallen glasses, “Oh, Marinette is going to kick my ass for sure!”

Nino stared at the girl as he stood up, “Um… no worries.”

The girl took one more look at him to make sure he was alright and then dashed off, “Sorry, bye!”

After a moment of silence, Adrien burst into laughter, “Who has the goo-goo eyes now?!” 

~~~ 

Marinette had wiped off the final table and was ready to hang her apron back on the hook when the bell on the door tinkled and she stopped herself. Turning around she greeted, “Welcome to the Dup- Alya!”

With a grin, Alya ran behind the counter to meet her friend, “Sorry I’m late! I ran into some dude on the way here. I hope he’s not concussed.”

Marinette laughed and tried her best to look stern, “Late and guilty of assault! I thought I raised you better.” 

Marinette continued after Alya laughed, “I actually totally forgot that you were coming over; I had this giant group come through the bakery. And get this, they were a volleyball team that’s transferred to our league!” 

Alya looked at her with wide eyes, “Were they wearing green and black?”

“Why yes, they wer-”

“HAHAH! They ain’t shit, Marinette! We’ll crush them when we play them! I totally steamrolled one of them. Hoo boy, he went down like a leaf. If he can block your spike I’ll be surprised. Team-”

“Alya!”, Marinette had to stop her before she went any further, “Did you at least say sorry?!”

When Alya didn’t respond right away Marinette slapped her on the shoulder, “Alya!”

“Hey! Hey! I was thinking. I’m pretty sure I did. And if I didn’t, I’ll say it after we crush them next week. No big deal.”, Alya stated.

Marinette smiled, “Sounds good. Hey let’s work on that that camera setup now. The system is up in my room.”

Even as the pair worked on their project, Marinette found herself glancing up at her red uniform every now and again. It would be a match to remember for sure.


	2. Snowfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Marinette is a tough cookie and Adrien is impressed.  
> Featuring [this comic](http://ceejles.tumblr.com/post/140986307043) by @ceejiles on Tumblr

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me if you find any errors. I really wanted to get this out to you guys ASAP so there's bound to be more than a couple mistakes. A slot for a beta reader is still open. Like really open. Please please please contact me if you're just the slightest bit interested. Perks include input on the plot and knowing what happens ahead of everyone else.

Ah, Saturday, the day of many faces. Saturday was macaroon day at the bakery, Saturday was the first day of the merciful weekend, but most importantly, Saturday was game day. Marinette’s body and responses were on autopilot as she thought about the game later today. She glided through the market, setting the six cartons of eggs her father had requested in her basket. The chatter and happenings of the store could not compare to the noise she had needed to block out during some of her more intense matches in past seasons.

Today, Team Ladybug was playing VC Storm, one of the better teams in the league. 

In her head, Marinette ran through the favored plays of her soon-to-be opponents. As she picked up two boxes of butter she recalled that their setter loved to make setter dumps. When she gave the cashier the bakery’s card, she remembered that their ace often hit straights. That time that their coach had called in a wicked pinch server came back to her as she loaded the groceries onto the back of her moped. 

Marinette wove in and out of narrow and wide streets alike on the way back to the Dupain-Cheng bakery. The icy wind nipped her nose and cheeks, and brought tears to her eyes. She really hated weather like this, and it always made her eternally thankful that she lived in a toasty bakery and that her sport of choice was played indoors for the most part. No snow had been forecasted for today, but a few small flakes adorned her hair when she arrived and removed her helmet.  
Snow was one of the only two tolerable things about winter in Marinette’s eyes. Winter fashion was the other. Snow was inspiring and soft, and occasionally allowed for breaks in the school year when it piled up on the streets. It was only a real pain when it began to melt and transformed the ground into an endless ocean of mud and slurry. It was therapeutic to look at in small doses, though. 

The smell of cookies and the tinkle of a bell greeted her as she opened the door to the bakery. Aromas of baked goods varied in the small bakery, but the persisting warmth never faded. 

Her father called from beyond the swinging doors in the far end of the showroom and Marinette responded with a hum. He and her mother were busy preparing the hundreds of colored macaroons that would be sold in the bakery in the week to come. The bakery had a day like this for each of its specialized products. Monday was bread day, Tuesday was cookie day, and so on. Marinette’s favorite was macaroon day, though. They came in such a wide variety of colors and flavors, and they were super cute.

Marinette pushed open the swinging doors and kissed both of her parents on the cheek, “Eggs and butter, as requested.”

Her mother smiled softly, “Thank you Marinette. Now go get ready. Today’s the big game, right?”

“Yup!”, Marinette laughed as she set down the bags and ran upstairs to pack a bag. Her mom was right, today was a big game, but Marinette really thought next week would be the game to watch out for. 

She grabbed her red and black uniform off of it’s hook. Marinette always took great care to wash it separate from her other clothes. It was honestly her favorite thing to wear. After changing into her uniform, she tightened her pigtails and stuffed her gym shoes and knee pads into a drawstring bag. She pulled a cream colored warmup jacket and some sweatpants over her uniform after that. It wasn’t the most comfortable arrangement, but it would keep her from freezing on the way over to the gymnasium. Once she was downstairs again she filled up a water bottle and grabbed her personal red volleyball. 

On the way out the door she heard her dad behind her, “Forgetting something?”

Marinette turned around and was greeted by the sight of her father holding a small box of pink and red macaroons. 

“You wouldn’t leave without a good luck hug and some fresh macaroons, would you?”, he rumbled and laughed.

Marinette smiled and gave him a hug, “Thanks Papa, but shame on you! You’re going to give my team heart disease!”

Her father feigned offence, “My macaroons? Never!”

With another laugh and a wave, macaroons in hand, Marinette hopped on her moped once more and buckled her helmet. It was game time. 

~~~

Alya was already on the floor dealing with something when Marinette arrived. When Marinette arrived, she wasn’t just just on the gym floor, she was on the floor, fidgeting with something.

Marinette stood above her and sighed, “I promise, the gym doesn’t have an old pirate bones under-”

“Shhhh!!!”, Alya silenced her without looking up.

After a minute, Alya finally addressed Marinette, “I’m setting up our camera for the match. Get the team started on warm ups without me. It’ll only take a few more minutes.”

Marinette nodded, “Thanks, Alya. This’ll really help our practices. See you in a few.”

As she sat down at some random spot in the bleachers, Marinette surveyed the gym and observed their opponents in purple, VC Storm. 

The gym itself was a little toasty, but almost everyone could agree that the heat was welcome on such a chilly day. In the corner on the opposite side of gym and to her left there was the supply closet. Marinette would need to grab a cart of balls for her team if someone hadn’t already. Directly across from her was the other set of bleachers, and in between them was the two volleyball courts and a basketball court running horizontally through them. In the corner across the gym to the right was the door that led to the boy’s locker room. Marinette had been in there exactly one time; It smelled like sweaty hamburger pringles. Moving on, in the same corner was the entrance to the gym on the adjacent wall. Further to the right and higher up was one of the two scoreboards in the gym. On the wall she was closest to and to the left of the bleachers was the girl’s locker room. Finally on the wall on the left there was a back exit and a neutral locker room towards the middle of the room but offset to the right a little.

The gym had become a second home of sorts to Marinette, and it had been her refuge from stress and troubles over the years. At one point, it a source of her stress when Team Ladybug seemed like it might disband. Nevertheless, Marinette fought to keep most of the team together and had succeeded. She had poured a lot of sweat and tears into this place.

Directing her mind to the team on the first court in front of her, Marinette focused on their captain, Aurore Beauréal. She had a good vertical and maintained a cheery disposition in all her matches. Purple was definitely her color, too.  
VC Storm and Team Ladybug were tied for first in the league, so this match probably meant as much to Aurore as it did to Marinette. She would definitely have to take that into account once the match started. 

Team Ladybug was the more defensive specializing team, while VC Storm packed a powerful offensive punch. It wouldn’t be very surprising if other teams showed up early to watch before their own matches. Everyone who played would love to watch a good game and hoped to develop their own game sense by watching. 

A wave from Alya on the court pulled Marinette from her thoughts as she tied the laces on the second shoe she was putting on. She tied the final knot and grabbed her bag before meeting Alya on the court. 

“Rose is on her way but everyone else is here.”, Alya reported and gestured to the group of people clad in red and making their way over to them. 

Marinette waited for everyone to huddle up and then addressed the group, “Alright, let’s do this, team. Circle up for stretches.”

As they stretched their arms, legs, and torsos, Marinette took a mental attendance of the group. Ivan, check. Kim, check. Alya, check. Nathanael…. Not check. 

In between stretches Marinette asked, “Where’s our libero?”

A voice behind her called, “Right here, Marinette.”

Looking between her legs as she stretched, she was able to spot the boy behind her.

“Sorry I’m late, I was digging for my kneepads”, he apologized.

When the team transitioned to a sitting stretch, he joined the circle, touching Marinette’s shoulder in greeting. 

In accordance with his position as libero, Nathanael wore a black uniform with white and red accents. He did his job artfully, and Marinette appreciated having him behind her on the court. Though, she wished he would do something about his bangs. It was a wonder that he received any balls with them interfering with his vision. Maybe she could design him a headband of some sort…

“So sorry- huff- everyone!”

Oh, there was Rose. She wasn’t late very often, but if she was, it was because she was out rescuing some puppy or something. She was too sweet for Marinette or the team to ever be mad at her. 

A chorus of “hey”s and “don't worry about it”s came from the stretching circle as Rose hurriedly settled to put her gear on. There was an even six of them, which meant no one would get a break during their matches and no one could skip, otherwise they would be short a player. It was hard work, keeping such a small team together and functioning.

“Okay, take a few more minutes to stretch, I’ll grab the balls.”, Marinette called and jogged over to the cart in the corner near the supply closet. She was about to wheel it away when her hand brushed someone else's.

Marinette almost passed out from shock when she looked up to find tourmaline eyes staring back at her. It was the kid from the bakery, Adrien. 

A simple and casual greeting passed easily through his lips, “Hey”. The greeting crashed upon Marinette’s ears and waged war on her consciousness as her cheeks began to heat up.

“H-hey.”, Marinette’s mouth and vocal cords moved of their own accord. Good start to the conversation, Marinette.

“I wanted to get some practice in before my match later. Mind if I take one?”, Adrien asked, gesturing to the contents of the cart.

Marinette took a second to reply, “One wha- Oh! Yes! Of course! Go right ahead, all yours, haha…”

Adrien selected a ball, waved, “Thanks. Good seeing you!”, and jogged off. 

It took yet another minute for Marinette to recover her wits again, and when she did, they were filed with that uniform he was wearing. The green accents on his uniform matched his eyes so well. How dreamy….

“Marinette! Marinette!”

Marinette finally registered Alya standing and waving a hand in front of her face.

“You’re staring.”, Alya stated as she rolled her eyes, “Let’s start peppering and you can tell me how Mr. Dreamy proposed.”

Alya took the cart and Marinette ran after her, whining, “It wasn’t like that!!! Don’t say things like that so loudly! Alya!”

~~~

As they were peppering, Marinette would occasionally glance at Adrien and then get nailed in the face by a pass from Alya. 

“Focus, girl. Important game, remember? As much as you and I both want to stare at the dreamboats that make up PT Chat, we have to win this. We’re already distracted as a team as it is. I’ve told Rose about three times to stop staring at Juleka through the net.”, Alya scolded her.

Marinette started the pattern up again and questioned, “Dreamboats, plural?”

Alya sighed, “Shit, you got me. The blond dude that you’ve been rambling about has a teammate named Nino. We were talking before you got here. They’re here to watch the game.”

Was Adrien… lying?, Marinette wondered as she set the ball to Alya.

The next thing that Alya said really caught her attention, “Now if you can focus for this game, I’ll tell you what Nino said Adrien was saying about you. Sound like a good deal?”

If Alya’s objective was to get Marinette to focus, that was the wrong way to go about it. Now all she could think about was the fact that Adrien talked about her, like, at all. 

“Alya!”, Marinette groaned and dug deep to get a short ball. 

Alya’s shit-eating grin indicated that she was about to make a witty comment, but the whistle of the referee interrupted her.

“Line up!”, the main referee called to each team, signaling them to take their places on the respective ends of the court. 

At once, both teams shouted, “Good game!”, and then moved into their team huddles.

“Okay team ladybug, we have a big match ahead of us. They’re good, but we can connect. Anticipate their moves and keep your eyes on the ball. I trust Rose to alert our blockers of decoys and the like.”, Marinette nodded at Rose and scanned the expressions of her team. They looked decently calm, good.

Alya pitched in, “Miraculous Ladybug on three! One… Two…. Three!”

“Miraculous Ladybug!” The cheer was loud and strong, the team was ready for battle.

~~~

“Sorry! Cover!”, Rose shouted as she received and tricky serve.

Ivan ran to cover her and pass to the front line. 

The ball was spinning, heading towards the net, Marinette could make it.

“Mine!”, she screamed as she began to make her dash to meet the ball. As her feet left the ground she spotted them. Two blockers. A feint. No, a wipe. Marinette slammed the ball with terrifying force into the fingertips of the blocker on the left. It blew past their hand and before Marinette’s feet had touched the floor, the ball had bounced on the ground.  
She won the point. 

Unaware of the blocker cradling their hand in front of her, Marinette turned around and was enveloped in a swarm of her teammates.

“What was that?!”, screamed Alya.

Nathanael grinned at her, “That was amazing! You’re incredible!”

Marinette blushed at the attention as Kim clapped her on the back. Moments like these were the very best part of the game.

~~~ 

Across the gym, another ball dropped to the floor, it’s owner in awe. 

“Dude.”, Adrien vocalized to no one in particular even though Nino was right there, “Did you see that?”

Nino laughed, “Yeah bro. I have eyes.”

Adrien didn’t bother chasing after the ball rolling away from him, his eyes were glued to Marinette, “No, like, did you see see that? She totally knew what she was doing. That power, my stars. And did you see how quickly she jumped? No wonder she’s their captain…”

Nino looked at him quizzically, “How do you know that?”

“I-uh-um… I might’ve looked at their roster in addition to their schedule.” 

“Have you no shame, man!?”, Nino laughed hysterically at his own inflection. 

Adrien blushed, “We’re going to be playing them, and they’re clearly a strong team. It doesn’t hurt to know you opponent.”

Nino completely ignored Adrien’s cover up and punched his shoulder, “Just ask her on a date already. She totally blushes when you’re around, you know.”

Some unknown surge of confidence overtook Adrien in that moment, he mumbled to himself, “I think I will….”, and moved away to go find a good spot in the bleachers.

~~~ 

One more point. Match point. Team Ladybug could take the third and final set.

“One more, team, give it everything you have.”, Marinette wiped the sweat off of her forehead and turned from the huddle to face the other team. This was their best rotation, they could win this.

The whistle blew and the ball was suddenly sailing to the back line. 

“Got it!”, called Nathanael and the ball sailed beautifully to Rose, who had her hands ready. 

It had to be Marinette. The final blow had to come from their captain. She had worked so hard all game, she deserved it. 

It was a perfect toss, Marinette observed as she jumped. She admired it, but she wasn’t blind to the single blocker in front of her. A flash of purple clashed with the blue and yellow of the ball. Spinning, spinning- SLAM!

Marinette put all her force into her spike and the other side of the net was suddenly visible. No longer did she have to spend agonizing milliseconds imagining the ball landing solidly; It was there. 

The gym went quiet, and then burst into a cacophony of cheers and various noises of reaction. 

Marinette was a little shocked to say the least, so she toppled to the ground and fell on her butt, laughing of course. 

As the final whistles blew, she was hoisted up by her sweaty teammates. They had shared in the hard work, thus they shared in the laughter. They worked hard. They deserved it. 

It took a little time and some convincing for Team Ladybug to set Marinette down and disperse. Marinette took a little longer to leave because she always insisted on a cooldown and stretching for herself after games. She was in the middle of an arm stretch when she felt an arm on her shoulder.

“That was amazing.”

Marinette jumped a little, but kept an even tone as she turned, lowering her arms, “Thanks N- A-Adrien?! Um, hi there, thank you.”

Boom, tomato face once more for Marinette. It didn’t help when Adrien chuckled, or when she saw the look in his eyes. Something was a little different. He looked… less laid back? More intense? Those were the same thing, but they were the only observations Marinette was able to make through her jumbled thoughts. 

“We play each other next week, you know.”, Adrien stated, probing her eyes for something unknown, to even him.

Marinette had forgotten, “Oh, yeah, that’s right…. We do.”

Adrien took a breath, he really hoped that he wouldn’t be shot down as hard as he knew Marinette could.

“I have a proposal for you.”

Oh no, Marinette was gone. What did he want? And why the word proposal? In Marinette’s mind, that word was reserved for marriage and lucrative business deals. She simply nodded as a signal for him to continue.

 

 

“If I win…. You’ll go on a date with me.”

Marinette froze.

“Deal?”

A challenge of the heart was nothing in the face of a challenge in volleyball. She answered with a set expression and a clear voice.

“You’re on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you can figure out the hints I'm giving, tell me what you think down in the comments.


	3. Banter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Alya is queen of conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big big thank you to my wonderful new beta reader, flying-tobio on tumblr. A link to her blog here: http://flying-tobio.tumblr.com/  
> She's done an amazing job keeping my late-night writing habits in check. 
> 
> Also, you guys can get updates on chapter updates on my own tumblr here: http://intjchangeable.tumblr.com/  
> From now on, I'll tag update posts with "Served Update" 
> 
> Thank you for your kind comments on the previous chapters!

“Shoot!” Marinette abruptly shouted in the middle of the parking lot. She had forgotten to share those macaroons with her team, and now they were just sitting in the basket of her moped. And she certainly wasn’t going to eat them by herself; she could have macaroons whenever she wanted. 

With a sigh she took the box out of the basket; maybe one of the custodial staff would want some. Marinette would hate to let fresh-baked macaroons go to waste. 

The snow was falling in huge clumps now, and they stuck to Marinette’s eyelashes as she walked back into the gym. It felt strange, but it was refreshing. The flakes helped to cool the heat that had accumulated while she had played.

The chill vanished when she opened the doors to the gym and stepped inside. Marinette was actually surprised to find that there was a game going on, until she remembered that Adrien had said that he had a game after her. 

An idea snuck into her mind, and Marinette smiled to herself. Who else would love a gift from the bakery more than Adrien? But wait! They just talked… And the conversation had such a finality to it… 

Marinette was rudely wrenched from her inner monologue when a volleyball rolled it’s way down the floor and bumped into her feet. 

It was as if she had no choice in the matter of macaroon delivery, because there he was, in all his sweaty glory. 

“Marinette!” Adrien waved as he jogged over to her and picked up the rolling ball. “Did you forget something?” Confidence was out of season in Marinette Town, and stuttering with elements of tomato face was in style. 

“Oh no,” Marinette laughed nervously, “I...um… here!” With the final word she thrust the box upon him, somewhat awkwardly between his arms and the ball he was holding. 

Adrien dropped the ball for his convenience and opened the box. “Macaroons? Is it really okay for me to have these?!”

On the bright side, he didn’t seem at all bothered by the fact that Marinette was back again, but on the slightly dimmer side, what a dork! Marinette had to admit that he wasn’t as suave as she first made him out to be. Did that make him even more attractive? She’d never know.

 

~~~

As Marinette and Adrien babbled, Nino and Alya laughed at them from the other side of the gym. 

Alya could barely stand, and she grasped Nino’s shoulder for support. “Look at them. They’re so awkward, but so cute.”

“I know!” Nino howled. “Adrien is powerless in the face of food. I feel bad for the dude sometimes, but this is just hilarious.”

Attempting to get herself together, Alya sucked in some air and managed to pull a straight face. “Phew. Okay. Keep it together.” 

“It’s almost barf-worthy,” Nino commented as he continued to watch the pair. “I’d hate to break up their little exchange, though…. Why can’t we be like that?” He poked Alya’s cheek as he lazily asked the question.

Alya slapped his hand away, “Because I’m not the romantic equivalent of a toddler. You have my number anyways.” 

“Fair enough,” Nino laughed. “Are you going to stay and watch our match?”

“As much as I’d love to watch you eat shit going for a dig, I have plans with my own team later tonight and a journalism assignment to do by tomorrow. I really have to head out and get that done.”

“Boo.” Nino frowned, but stepped away to signal his compliance. “Drive safe. It’s getting pretty bad out there.”

Alya winked. “Will do. Good luck.”

As he watched Alya walked away, Nino did a little fist pump.

~~ 

“What was that?” Alya laughed heartily and gave Marinette a congratulatory pat on the back. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you want to f-”

“OKAY!” Marinette interjected, “No more talking! You’ve lost speaking privileges!” Her face was burning, and she could feel its heat even as they were blasted with cold wind. 

Alya winked. “Just saying. You’ve talked to him twice today. Wanna tell a girl what’s up?” 

“It’s actually been three times now.” Marinette knew she was just creating more questions for herself when she saw Alya raise an eyebrow. “Can I give you the lowdown somewhere warmer?” 

Alya gestured to Marinette’s moped. “Can I catch a ride?”

“Of course!” Marinette tossed her a spare helmet, donned her own, and hopped on the moped. She started the engine, and they zipped out of the parking lot, leaving behind the warmth of the gym. 

A shout from Alya came a few minutes into the ride. “I’ll need to borrow your computer! Journalism 101 again!”

What a procrastinator. 

~~ 

“So you’re telling me that you made a bet, but the prize was a date?” Alya almost screamed. “You should have just accepted the date right there and then! That way, you get a date and you get to win!”

Marinette laughed at the outburst, but she was secretly kicking herself. Why hadn’t she thought of that? Come to think of it, she really hadn’t thought any part of this through. Maybe she could just say, “Let’s go on that date anyway!” Oh no way. Goodness. That lacked so much grace and tact. In reality, Marinette did not trust herself to keep calm in that situation. The adrenaline from a game could only give her confidence for so long. 

She finally responded to Alya with a sigh. “Yeah, you’re right. I really wasn’t thinking. It’s really hard to when he’s so…. Cool? That’s not the word, but you get my point.”

“You’ve got it bad,” Alya commented and tapped away at Marinette’s desktop, writing whatever assignment she needed to complete by tomorrow. 

Marinette decided to do a little bit of investigation for herself. “What about you and… Nino? Yeah. You guys were pretty chummy when I glanced over at you.” 

Alya shrugged and adjusted her glasses. “Yeah. He’s nice. A little too ‘bro’ for my tastes, but a decent guy altogether.”

“A little too ‘bro’? What does that even mean?” Marinette grinned and turned to fold some clothes and put them away.

Alya huffed. “You know. Those guys who use the word ‘dude’ and ‘bro’ as often as they drink gatorade. The undiluted kind.” 

“That is weirdly specific, Alya.” 

“I’ve met some weirdly specific people.”

“Fair.”

Both girls worked in silence then, mostly enjoying each other’s company and the soft music floating up from the bakery downstairs. This was a regular scenario for them. Their friendship had long surpassed the point where they needed to talk to hang out. It was a nice setup for both girls. Marinette felt that she worked better knowing that if she needed help or a conversation, Alya was right there.

After a while, Marinette spoke up. “You texted the team about the dinner, right?”

Usually after a big win, Team Ladybug would have a team dinner at a small restaurant near the gym. It helped hold the team together and alleviate any stress from the day. 

“I’d be a goner if I forgot. They all know, don’t worry.” Alya paused the playlist she was listening to. “Though I think Rose might be leaving a little early. Something about Juleka.”

Marinette laughed, “Honestly, that’s the hardest part about about playing VC Storm. Rose and Juleka just stare at each other the whole time. Rose forgets the rotation and everything.”

Alya waved a hand over her shoulder. “It’ll wear off after a while; they’re still a relatively new couple. I will admit, though, they are cute. It’s distracting.” Marinette was about to reply when Alya voiced an afterthought. “You better not get distracted by goldilocks next week.”

“Goldilocks… oh! Ha! Real funny. I could say the same to you about… headphones... boy.” Marinette couldn’t come up with a good nickname for anyone if she tried. It just wasn’t in her. 

“You sure got me there.” Alya chuckled as she saved her paper and stretched out in the desk chair. “Why don’t we play a game and then pick something out to wear? Or should I say, we play a game and you can pick something for each of us to wear. I have enough clothes in this room to make a boutique. And I trust you.”

It was almost like Marinette was her mother at this point. Alya insisted that Marinette’s eye for fashion was something she needed every morning, and Marinette would often receive texts in the morning asking for advice.

“Are you finished with your paper?” Marinette stood up from her desk and stretched.

Alya sat back in her chair. “As finished as it’s going to get.” 

~~~

Although the snowfall had stopped when Marinette and Alya arrived at the small restaurant, there still was a considerable dusting of it on the ground. The walk through the parking lot was a bit slick, but they made it inside safely, and found Rose and Ivan waiting for them at the usual table. 

 

Rose waved them over and they slid into the booth, shedding their extra layers and hanging them on a nearby rack.

“Hope you guys haven’t been waiting long. I thought we were early.” Marinette unwrapped her scarf from her neck. 

“Nah, I was just bored and Ivan is at training here.” Rose dismissed the apology with a small wave of her hand.

Alya piped up. “You got the job, Ivan? Congrats!” She slapped him on the back and Ivan smiled sheepishly. 

Marinette always thought that Ivan would be the leader of a band or something, but as she hung out with the team more, she learned that he was actually a stellar cook. Getting a job at this restaurant was a good way to start a career in cooking. Come to think of it, her team was really her closest group of friends, and she knew the talents of each of them. She was just about to give him a compliment of her own when she felt a hand on her shoulder. 

“I’m here,” Nathanael announced his presence with a warm smile and slid into the booth next to Marinette. He was greeted collectively by the team and they chatted and waited to order until Kim arrived. 

Once he did, however, the team was content and enveloped in their own chatter. There was conversation about their orders of food, the game, university, and everything in between. At some point, Alya had pulled out her phone, and they all spent the 20 minutes crowded around the small screen before their food arrived, watching the stunning video of the game Alya had recorded. Each play was either met with a small gasp, a laugh, or a line like, “I didn’t know I did that!”

They took a break and split apart when their food arrived, and the conversation shifted to their next game.

“Personally, I’m willing to bet that they’re all talk and no game,” Kim proclaimed as he popped some prosciutto with basil in his mouth. 

Nathanael spoke up. “I don’t know. I’d rather take them seriously than be caught off guard.”

It had happened before at the beginning of the year; they had been totally overconfident going into a match against the Wasps, and they ended up losing by a few points. It was humiliating. 

“What do you think, Mari?” Alya spoke through a mouthful of pasta as she asked Marinette’s opinion on the situation. 

Marinette realized that the whole team had turned to stare at her and she laughed. “I think we just need to fight our hardest. I don’t want to lose!”

She wasn’t really sure if this was the best place or time to mention the fact that she had made a bet on their victory, so she kept her response generic.

“Well, either way, we did well today, team!” Kim grinned, he was probably still pumped from the intense match earlier. 

Rose laughed, “We sure did.” 

~~ 

Soon enough, they had all finished what they could of their plates, and Rose had left early for a movie date with Juleka. Filled with food and tired from the time, the team sorted out their winter layers and began to dress themselves to brave the winter winds.

“Are you sure you can’t hang out tomorrow?” Alya pulled a beanie hat over her hair and started to push her hands through her gloves.

Marinette sighed, “Positive. I already scheduled an appointment.”

“Bummer. Have fun.”

Marinette wasn’t sure if ‘fun’ applied, but a tour of Sorbonne University couldn’t be that bad, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm waiting to name that restaurant because my friends are going to Paris next week. Hopefully they'll give me some insight into the city.


	4. Chapter 4 - Sorbonne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Marinette never figures out certain things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, a very special thank you to my two beta readers:  
> Flying-Tobio http://flying-tobio.tumblr.com/  
> and  
> deeraling http://deeraling.tumblr.com/
> 
> both of them are super helpful and awesome people!
> 
> Also, I'm sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I've been working really hard at tennis and I was at a tournament all this weekend. My doubles team made it to the semifinals and a girl from our team won the final match in singles. AP exams are coming up really soon too.... But over the summer my writing should go much faster. Thank you for your patience!

“This is going to be great!” Sabine Dupain-Cheng smiled at Marinette from the passenger seat of their family car, which may or may not be a bread delivery truck. Marinette usually preferred to take her moped that her parents bought her as a graduation gift, but today they needed to go somewhere together: University. It wasn’t that Marinette hated touring with her parents, but they weren’t much help when it came to whatever school they were visiting. They had nothing bad to say, like, at all. Marinette couldn’t choose a school just by comparing “how nice” the trees were. She needed some pros and cons to help her make a good choice. 

Marinette had taken a gap year to work at the bakery and establish some financial stability for herself. The short distance from the bakery to Sorbonne was rather appealing because Marinette could continue to live at home and work at the bakery to pay off her tuition. Even better, it also had a wonderful design program, thanks to its heavy relations with Agreste Fashion. Marinette’s dream was to work in the fashion industry, and being associated with the Agreste brand was a one way ticket to landing her dream job. 

The administration building alone looked new and modern. In other words, it looked expensive. Marinette wondered if they could pay for her to attend this kind of school with bread and macarons. Maybe the dean had a sweet tooth. 

The sound of their shoes clicking on the floor echoed across the marble interior of the rather quiet building. It was actually quite intimidating how silent and clean the interior of the building was, but Marinette supposed that it reflected the Agreste style well enough. Cutting edge and simplistic had its charms. 

The letter that Marinette had received from the admissions office when she requested a tour pointed them to the west wing of the building and to an office behind large oak doors. It was almost difficult not to grunt as she pushed the doors open.  
Inside the room was a sharply dressed woman perusing some files in a drawer at her desk. The nameplate at her desk said “Nathalie Sancoeur” and the look on her face when the family entered the room said, “Who are you people?”

“Uh, hi!” Marinette wanted to kick herself for such a flimsy greeting. “I’m Marinette. I, uh, I’m scheduled for a tour here around 3.” ‘Way to make an impression in the admissions office, Marinette’ She thought.

Nathalie closed the file she had been looking at and rose from her seat. “Right. We can start immediately. This way please.” With that professional reply, Nathalie passed between Marinette’s parents and went out the door with the expectation that they would follow. 

There wasn’t much to see in the administration building so they moved on to the design lab next door. It only had one lecture hall, but it also had a room with kilns, a room with a raised platform designed for life drawing, a metal workshop, a digital art hall, and a textile room Marinette could spend the rest of her life in. Out of all the buildings they toured that day, the design lab took the cake. 

They passed through the dining halls, the main academic hall, the small fashion studio, the athletic fields, and the dorms, but their final stop caught Marinette’s eye in particular: the gym.  
It wasn’t that the gym itself was some masterpiece of architecture, it was certainly a well-built facility and its locker rooms were clean and the equipment was new, but the people using the courts made Marinette stop and stare. It was the Sorbonne men’s volleyball team. They were completely focused the practice drill they were moving through. However, it was their practice jerseys of indigo and gold that really set the scene. Marinette had yet to visit a school with a volleyball team, but she knew from a glance this one was well funded.

Marinette only realized that she had been staring into the gym when her father laid a hand on her shoulder. 

“Everything alright?” Her papa looked from her to the gymnasium. 

Marinette hadn’t even considered the possibility of playing volleyball beyond her recreational league, mainly because none of the schools she had visited possessed a team. 

“I’m just watching them play, Papa.” Marinette smiled and pointed at the players across the floor.  
Her dad knowingly smiled and looked at Nathalie. “Does this school have a women’s volleyball team?

Nathalie looked Marinette up and down in an unsettlingly analytical way. “Yes.”  
Marinette tried to hide her smile when her father nudged her with his elbow. “My little girl here is quite the player.” Her smile dropped instantly and her whole face turned beet red.

“Papa!” she exclaimed and tried to hide her blush of embarrassment with her hands.

“Teasing, mon petit. You are very skilled though! Maybe you should consider trying out if you apply here.” 

Marinette was only half listening to her Papa when she spotted Adrien walking across the gym. Fortunately for her, her mom realized what was going on. How a person could be so perceptive, Marinette would never know, but she would later be grateful for her mother’s actions. 

“Nathalie, could Tom and I talk tuition with you? Marinette, honey, maybe you could explore the gym or talk to some students.” Her mother smiled sweetly at Nathalie and her daughter, respectively. 

“May I?” Marinette shuffled a little and looked hesitantly at the present administrator.  
Nathalie gave a curt nod in response. “Yes, but do not disturb them.” 

Sabine smiled at her daughter and patted her husband on the shoulder. “Let’s go look at that cafeteria again! We can’t have our daughter hungry on those long days at school.” Over her shoulder she addressed Marinette, “Have fun, sweetie. We’ll be back in half an hour or so.” 

Once her parents were on their merry way with Nathalie to the cafeteria, Marinette snuck inside the gym to watch and possibly inspect some of their equipment. They were all too busy practicing to really notice her in the corner of the huge gym anyway. 

The floor was painted indigo and gold on top of the wood and there was a butterfly painted in the center circle. The windows were all the way on the ceiling and seemed to be free of any dust or debris that would block light. Everything else in the gym was metal or a volleyball. 

Marinette sat in the corner watching the practice and taking mental notes when she noticed someone walking towards her in her peripheral vision. She hoped it wasn’t the coach coming to kick her out. She did not want to begin her possible career at Sorbonne with such an encounter.

When she turned her head, she almost lost her shit. It was Adrien. 

When he approached her with a volleyball tucked under his arm and laughed while scratching the back of his head. “Fancy seeing you here.” 

Marinette wiped her eyes, vaguely wondering if she was just seeing and hearing things because of her fatigue from yesterday. But no, there he was. Again.

She stood up. “Ah, yeah. I’m just touring here. What about you?” Okay, smooth, so far so good. 

“Touring,” Adrien said, suddenly apprehensive. “What about you? Oh, shoot, wait. You already said that. My bad.” 

Marinette giggled and pointed at the volleyball he was carrying. “Want to pepper and talk?” 

Adrien sighed in relief, “Sure.” Then, he tossed the ball to her. 

Marinette bumped the ball back into the air for Adrien to set. “So… what do you like about Sorbonne?” 

It was an innocent question but Adrien’s voice cracked when he made his suspiciously quick reply. “Oh, I… um… the food.” He had floundered to make up a reason for coming here, and now Nino would certainly kill him later. ‘Go ahead, Nino, I deserve what’s coming. She won’t take me seriously ever again,’ Adrien thought and set the ball to Marinette, who gently tapped it back down to him. 

Marinette was actually lost somewhere between a humored reaction and a concerned one. Was this boy eating enough or was he just being funny? Either way, she kept her response neutral. “Oh, I...uh, here they have a good variety here….” Marinette cleared her throat and set the ball after Adrien received it, desperately trying to think of a direction to steer the conversation in. After a moment she decided on volleyball, it was a happy medium for them. “Do you think you’ll try out for the team if you go here?”

Adrien stifled a scoff and some laughter at the mention of the word ‘if’. He was most definitely going here. Like hell his dad would let him go anywhere else. But Marinette didn’t need to know that. He pretended to wonder for a moment and then spoke. “I really don’t know. It seems like a big commitment on top of my major.”

“Your major?” Marinette asked, grateful for the segway in the conversation.

More lies flew out of Adriens mouth and up into the air between them. He was juggling them just as he was keeping the volleyball suspended in the same space. “Astrophysics.” That one wasn’t a total lie; it was the major he wished he could pursue. In reality, he would pursue business and minor in astrophysics. In hindsight, it seemed perfectly normal to name business as his major, but he’d rather answer questions about what he wanted to do than questions that would lead to revealing status. If that’s what one could call it. To embellish the wishful lie he added, “I think I want to be a science teacher.” ((Physics teacher adrien fuck yes)) 

Marinette smiled and believed him wholeheartedly. She returned to the subject of volleyball while paying him a compliment. “That’s a great thing to be. I think you could do it… Play volleyball for the school and study, I mean.” She laughed a little and focused on the ball in her mild embarrassment. 

Adrien laughed and decided he was done with lying to the girl he had a small crush on. “That’s a little too far in the future for me. Although….you know what’s not too far off?”

Marinette shook her head and set the ball again to restart the cycle. “No, what?”

“Our date.”

Marinette almost missed the mischievous look on Adrien’s face. Almost. And she almost wished she had when she coughed and missed the ball completely. She had completely forgotten about their little bet. “W-well! You’re not going to beat me!” 

Adrien hummed and rested his hands on his hips, blatantly ignoring her declaration. “What kind of dates do you like? Are you a restaurant person? Or are you a walk in the park kind of girl?”

Marinette gave in a little, but kept up the fight. “Well, in a backwards universe where you somehow could beat me, I would be preferential to night walks and visits to the river.” With that spark of hope that she gave him, she also spiked the ball down a little harder than she usually would while peppering. 

A little ‘oomph’ escaped Adrien’s lips as he received the ball, but he was happy. His head was swimming with plans for the rhetorical date and it was always good to know what your crush likes. This was just the incentive he needed to win.


	5. Chapter 5 - Here We Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little exposition in preparation for the next chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so sorry for the delay. I ended up splitting this chapter into two parts just so I could get some of it out to you guys. Exams are here and tennis has been pretty life-consuming. Expect the next chapter much sooner. 
> 
> Once again, thank you to my betas:
> 
> flying-tobio
> 
> and 
> 
> deeraling

Marinette was having a good dream. At least she thought she was. Her mother’s hand on her shoulder was a rude intrusion on her sleep regardless. 

“Get up, sweetie. You have to be at the game soon.” Her mother moved on from the bed and over to let some light into the room.

Marinette was usually stirred by this, but it seemed a bit early and she was still trying to remember what she was dreaming about. She groggily sat up, rubbing her eyes. “Wait… who is it against again?” 

Sabine laughed and answered, “That new team you’ve been talking about all week. BT Chat?”

As her cognitive ability was returned to her, Marinette laughed as well. “No maman. PT Chat.”

“Close enough,” her mother chimed as she left her daughter to get ready for the day. 

As the sound of footsteps down the stairs receded, Marinette forced herself to stand, stretch, and make a mental map of the day to come. The current time was 8:30 in the morning and the game was scheduled to start at 10:00. That left her about an hour and 15 minutes to get ready if she subtracted transit time and some chitchat with her parents. Not bad. 

Her parents were already downstairs working in the bakery since it was Friday,, which left the housing levels of the bakery empty for Marinette to make herself breakfast since the bakery was always so busy. Considering the day ahead, she went with whole grain toast with peanut butter and an apple. No doubt Alya was go the opposite way and stuff her face with some kind of toaster pastry while updating her blog. Just the mental image of Alya scattering crumbs all over her keyboard while typing furiously was enough to make Marinette laugh. Even when she wasn’t present, Alya was a good source of amusement. 

As she sat down to eat, Marinette turned the TV to the news channel that was going to cover Fashion Week in Paris later in the day. She made a mental note to record it just in case she didn’t make it home in time to watch the opening. Usually she and her parents would watch the broadcasts of Fashion Week with fervor, but their schedules were pretty loaded this year. Marinette reminisced about past years where Alya would come over when they were kids and they would pretend to be a reporter and a designer in the center of the action. Alya would make comments like, “You simply cannot beat a Dupen-Cheng original,” or, “Would you look at that embroidering?” 

Marinette smiled as she finished her breakfast and cleaned up her place at the island counter. It was really something to see that goofy dream in the process of being realized. Alya was already admitted into her university of choice, and Marinette had yet to make a choice of her own, but they each had their goals in sight. Such a concept would be surreal to a pre-teen Marinette. She could even remember not believing that she would ever graduate lycee when the classes seemed to drag on, but here she was at last. Not so hard to believe now that student loans were right in her face all the damn time. 

Marinette hummed as she climbed the stairs to her room to get changed. She usually didn’t need to change her hairstyle for matches, so there wasn’t much to do other than pack her gear and put on her uniform. She was ready in no time, so looking through the list of possible university options seemed prudent for the time being. 

Sorbonne seemed like the best choice, but it was an intimidating one nonetheless. Only 10% of the graduating design majors actually received a degree from the Agreste Program. Marinette had heard horror stories filled with caffeine, tears, and teachers that ate students. That last one wasn’t literal, but there was an incident that could be appropriately described like that. She couldn’t lie to herself: Sorbonne was perfect, but it terrified her. 

The clock on her desk had magically skipped ahead an hour when Marinette looked up from her musings. She could probably leave for the gym and get there early to help set up or stretch a little extra. 

She collected her things and left a little note to her parents telling them that she had left early, then walked from the back of the bakery to her moped. Thankfully today wasn’t as chilly as the previous game day, but it was still cold enough to need a jacket. Marinette pulled on her helmet until it was snug and then took off.


	6. Chapter 6 - Game On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ass kicking commences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was way too long in the making, and for that, I apologize. It was a really really tough chapter to write for me. Who knew detailed action in sports was so difficult to write?

The first serve of the game was crucial. It could determine the tempo of the game, the mental state of each team, or even who the momentum would be given to. Adrien spun the ball in his hands a few times before stopping its motion altogether. Though he was constantly reassured that his serves were the best on the team, he still felt the pressure. When you serve, you’re alone. Everyone else is on the court, waiting for your arrival, watching, expectant. 

A final twist of the ball. It was tossed high into the air. With unsurprising speed and power for his physique, Adrien lept into the air. He slammed the ball with an outstretched hand. 

It was a good, powerful serve. But it was aimed right at Marinette who was, from his observation, the strongest player on the team. Right before Adrien landed inside the court, he was able to see her expression. Damn, she was focused. She looked so different from when they had talked at Sorbonne. From when they had first met. It was like she never doubted herself in her life. It would be a horrible injustice to her ability to simply say that she received the ball. In reality, she took a perfect serve from the opposing team and robbed it of it’s malicious momentum. In an instant the ball was above the head of the setter and sent soaring to a waiting spiker. Point for team Ladybug. 

Maybe it was the fact that someone had received a serve from Adrien so well. Maybe it was the speed at which the ball was delivered the setter. Either way, PT Chat had been caught off guard. Adrien heard himself calling to the team, “Don’t mind, don’t mind!” as they got in formation to receive, but he couldn’t possibly speak louder than the statement team Ladybug had made. If they weren’t careful, the opposition would take the momentum and ultimately the game. 

On the other side of the court, Marinette couldn’t help but smirk. The shocked look on the enemy’s face was a little insulting. Ultimately, however, it was satisfying. Maybe they had underestimated team Ladybug, but that was a really good play and it deserved some awe and admiration. 

From her own team there were cheers of, “Let’s go Ivan!” as they rotated so he could serve for them. Team Ladybug was an all around team, so they all could serve pretty well, but Ivan looked like he needed a little more encouragement. Marinette flashed him a smile and a thumbs up. While he wasn’t one to smile too much, Ivan’s eyes lit up with both excitement and determination. 

The ball sailed easily over the net and was received by one of the only two Marinette knew by name on the other team. Nino. He had looked capable when Marinette had watched him briefly last week, and he proved himself to be so as the ball was directed to their setter. 

This wasn’t her team’s best defensive rotation, but Marinette, Kim, and Rose could make some trouble for the offense if they timed their jumps just right. 

Unfortunately they chose a decoy to block. The rest of the court was left unprotected. The wing spiker on the far side of the court sent the ball right into the hardwood. When Marinette landed and moved to get back into position, she caught Adrien’s eye. She made a face when she noticed his mischievous grin. 

The ball was on the floor in an instant. 1-1. Through the net, Marinette stared Adrien down. The first two points would undoubtedly be the only quick points of the game. The rest would be drawn out battles. Game on. 

~~~

12-11, 13-12, 14-14, Adrien was vaguely reminded of those horse racing movies where the horses were neck and neck, neither seeming to be able to hold a lead for very long. Team Ladybug was not backing down any time soon; they were an excellent match for his team. While PT Chat probably had the upper hand in terms of technique, Team Ladybug was a team through and through, and their connectivity was giving their opponents quite the difficult time. 

Adrien knew he’d never beat Marinette in a mid-air battle, so he settled for setting to teammates that were either far away from her or running at first tempo. Not to say that their other blockers weren’t a problem, but Adrien was very focused on Marinette; she was the glue that held Team Ladybug together. 

Before he could even blink again, the score was 19-20, Team Ladybug. 

“Shit,” Nino cussed from his place next to Adrien, “this is harder than I thought.” 

“Don’t let Alya hear you say that,” Adrien laughed, “she’ll kick your ass for real.” 

Nino groaned, “I know, man! That’s the worst part.”

“Worse than losing our undefeated season?”

“Without a doubt.” 

Adrien let out a low whistle and prepared to receive without another word. 

The ball came at a decent pace, and was received by Nino. It was a play they had rehearsed over and over, so the execution wasn’t the problem. It was the blockers. PT Chat’s spiker ran right into the waiting hands of their tallest blocker, and their grinning libero. 

And just like that, the set was Team Ladybug’s, tied up with a polkadot bow. 

PT Chat retreated to their bench with tense expressions all around. Adrien couldn’t recall a time they had lost the first set this season. This was a new breed of ass-kicking, one Adrien would mind a whole lot more if Team Ladybug were egotistical bastards, but they weren’t. How could he be mad at such geniune play? They were an admirable team, through and through. 

Nino however, was most likely not of the same mindset, seeing how he was currently communicating with Alya from all the way across the court through some weird mouth-hand gesture hybrid language. Grabbing his collar, Adrien dragged him over to the team meeting and addressed the huddle. “So, what’s the plan? Who’s the one to avoid?” 

Ideas were thrown into the circle haphazardly.

“Pigtails. Definitely avoid pigtails.”

“Their libero is not afraid to eat wood. Avoid him too.” 

“The one in glasses scares me.”

“Damn right she should scare you-”

“Alright!” Adrien interjected, bringing the clusterfuck of strategy to a screeching halt. They only had 3 minutes, and they weren’t really getting anywhere. “We need to focus on good playmaking on our part. Have patience on the received and we’ll be able to bring our tempo up and take control of the game.” 

The timeout was over before he knew it, and Adrien was eager to take the fresh set.

~~~

Not even 3 points into the set Adrien was already grinning like he had already won, and boy it was pissing Marinette off. Whatever he had said to his team had really pulled them together. It was getting much harder to block their attacks or even to predict them. The multitude of speakers from all directions was getting to be a bit much, so Marinette took the liberty of calling a timeout. 

In the huddle she spoke urgently, “What are we going to do about their coordinated attacks?”

“We could just not block them,” Rose suggested. “If we cover more of the court we can receive the spike.”

The idea was accepted with a few nods and Marinette grinned. “Sounds like a plan. Keep it up, ladybugs, we’ve got this.” 

“We better,” Alya singsonged, “Your love life depends on it.” 

Marinette smacked Alya’s arm and tried to ignore the looks from her teammates. A laugh from Rose, a frown from Nathanael, a smirk from Kim, and an impassive look from Ivan all were directed at Marinette in their little huddle. She hurriedly shoved her left hand as a signal they would disperse the huddle with a cheer. “Miraculous Ladybug on three!” 

~~~

Try as they might to counter the synchronized attacks from PT Chat, in the end, Team Ladybug just couldn’t pull it off. They lost the set 20-22. The match would go into a third set. 

Marinette sighed and plopped down on the metal bench. Taking a big swig from her water bottle, she desperately tried to conjure up some miraculous plan to overtake the opposition. Maybe they could all rush the net? Nah, too risky. They could switch to read-blocking, but none of them were fast enough to jump after the set. 

Before she knew it, the whistle for play to resume blew and they were back on the court where it was Adrien’s turn to serve again. 

This time, he sent the ball hurtling towards Nathanael. As Marinette turned to watch Nathanael receive, she was taken aback by his intense expression. Even with his bangs drifting into his eyes, the ball sailed into the air effortlessly. It floated to Rose like a gift and was quickly slammed down by Kim onto the opposing end of the court. Team ladybug had taken the first point, but anything could happen in a third set.

Marinette sighed and rotated for what felt like the millionth time that day. She made eye contact with Adrien from across from the net and was reminded why she wanted to win. Her ambition to win washed over her once more and she shouted to her teammates. “Let’s go Ladybugs! Nice serve Ivan!” 

She wouldn’t be taken down in any match or in spirit. 

~~~

22-23, PT Chat was up and if they won this next point, the match would be over. Marinette’s knuckles were white from gripping the ball so hard. It was her serve. If she messed this up, her team would lose. She would let them down. She would never- 

“YOU GOT THIS MARI!!!” 

Marinette almost dropped the ball as she squeaked in surprise. Her teammates had all shouted in unison after seeing her deep in thought, but they had nearly scared the shit out of her instead of motivating her. It wasn’t the exact desired effect, but it got her moving, nonetheless. 

She took a step back, tossed the ball into the air, and slammed it across the court with all the force she dared to muster for fear of the ball sailing out. 

As Marinette watched the ball with apprehension and the fear that it would certainly go out, the boy set to receive the ball seemed to get the same idea and stepped aside to let the ball out… only to find that it landed just barely in. The point was awarded to Team Ladybug. 

A smile made it’s way up Marinette’s face to her eyes as she was awarded the ball once more. They could win with two more points. 

She sent the ball up once more, towards the same boy. This time PT Chat got it up and to Adrien. They rallied for quite a long time, neither team willing to pause. The squeak of skin on the floor was constant, and shouts and cheers were drowned out by the rush of blood in Marinette’s ears. In the end, Rose won the point for her team with a neat and sneaky setter dump. 

And then it was 23-23. Marinette smiled to herself as she prepared to serve once more. Time to pull ahead. 

She sent the ball over to Adrien this time; he couldn’t set if he received. The frown on his face as he sent the ball to the boy in the center revealed that he had the same thought process as well. The ball was delivered to a spiker and Marinette found herself sprinting to the front to block as soon as she saw it. She just managed to get a touch on it. 

It was in the air and Marinette just barely managed to turn her head and watch Nathanael receive the floater. It was a good receive, but they only had one more touch. 

Marinette held her breath as she watched Alya elevate herself to reach the ball Nathanael had sent to her. It didn’t look like she had the height or the angle for a full spike-

She tipped it!

The surprised PT Chat blocker could do nothing as the ball was sent to the floor space right next to him.

24-23.

Marinette found herself shaking as the ball was returned to her, they were so close. This was the most intense game they they had ever played as a team. Victory was right across the net. 

A serve.

A receive.

Set. Spike. Block. Recover. Repeat. 

The point stretched on and on and suddenly Marinette was in the air. 

She could see it all. The blockers jumping to stop her. The floorboards she was aiming for. The green of Adrien’s eyes. 

She saw it all through the window provided for her by the gaps in the blocker's’ hands.

Marinette put all her remaining strength into her swing. The sound of her hand meeting the ball reverberated in the gym and Marinette could still hear it once she landed. 

She watched Adrien dive for the ball, only to meet empty air. His expression was one that she herself had worn many a game. It was one of shock mixed with indignant determination. 

But no amount of determination can help you when you’re too late. 

The ball bounced.

The whistle was blown.

It was over. 

Marinette stood, transfixed by the slow reactions of the opposing team while her teammates cheered behind her. They looked like….they had never lost before. Maybe that was the correct assumption to make. She still had no idea what their previous league had been like. Maybe they were always on top there. 

She felt someone’s hand on her shoulder but its presence was lost in her mind once she found herself staring at Adrien. He was probably the only one that didn’t look dejected. No one wanted to lose, obviously, but here he was, smiling and patting a teammate on the back. Marinette admired his poise and grace in defeat. 

~~~

The lineup, the handshakes, the cooldown exercise, all of it was normal. Marienette was elated that her team had won, but she still felt for the opposing team. Losing after a drawn-out battle was tough. It took all of your physical and mental energy. She snuck glances at Adrien every now and then until Alya elbowed her in the stomach. 

“Alya!” Marinette cradled her abdomen.

Alya shrugged and then pointed a finger in Marinette’s face. “You are going on a date with that boy if it’s the last thing I make you do, my friend. Pack up and go talk to him. Put the moves on him!” 

“T-the moves?!” Marinette shook her head and crossed her arms, confident Marinette was out on lunch break, and shy Marinette was in. “I don’t see him. Oops. Too late. So sad.”

“Mari.” Alya pointed right across the gym. “Go, or I will.” 

Shy Marinette was never any match for business Alya. 

Marinette collected her equipment and hesitantly edged her way across the gym. She some maneuvering in the hopes that he would just walk away and she could muster the courage to talk to him some other day, but alas, she was spotted. 

Adrien was all smiles, and Marinette couldn’t figure out which was more surprising, that or the fact that his hair was a dripping mess. He looked like a different person without his styled hair. 

“That was an amazing game.” Adrien reached out for another handshake, not a trace of the flirt from last week present. 

Marinette nodded and shook his hand with as much confidence as she could summon in the moment. “It sure was. I had fun.” Great. Wonderful. Marinette could certainly give herself an award for charisma now. 

Fortunately Adrien seemed more than prepared to overlook her dead-end statement and carry on. “I guess I lost the bet too, then.” 

Boom. There it is. Marinette shuffled her feet, “Well, um… I was planning on going for a night walk later on tomorrow night anyway…” 

The grin on Adrien’s face was something to see, and he drew a little closer to her. “Is that an invitation?”

Marinette blushed horribly and turned her head to avoid eye contact; not that it could help her red face at this point. “....yes.”

In an instant, she was scooped up in strong arms and spun around. 

“I can’t wait.” 

And then Marinette remembered what her dream was. Deja vu.


	7. Epilouge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! I've finished! 
> 
> Thank you to everyone for your nice comments and encouragement! It really made me happy to see that you liked my interpretation of this AU. 
> 
> Thank you to my wonderful betas, who put up with my funky grammar and extraneous character actions. 
> 
> Check them out everyone! 
> 
> http://pbpidge.tumblr.com/
> 
> http://flying-tobio.tumblr.com/
> 
> Also! if you're sad to see the end of this work, fear not, because I'm working on another miraculous fic with another author. Look for that!

Marinette hummed as she moved through her cozy home. It was snowing outside, so she had resolved to work on designs at home rather than in her studio a little ways from home. She had some other incentives to stay home as well, like being there in time to watch her daughter’s volleyball game. 

“Emma, dear! Your uniform is dry!” Marinette called up the stairs to her oldest child. 

There was a patter of feet across the floor followed by a faint voice calling out: “Be right there!” 

Marinette sat patiently on the couch, sketching the preliminary designs for her newest line of casual wear. Maybe she’d put a more athletic spin on this collection. She’d have to ask Emma later. A few more notes and details were added to the current design Marinette was working on before Emma was downstairs and back up again to change. 

Marinette was about to remind her to pack a water when she felt hands on her shoulders. Looking up and behind her as much as her neck would allow, Marinette smiled and accepted a kiss from her husband. 

“Just on time,” Marinette commented. 

Adrien chuckled and moved around the couch to sit beside her. “We’re going to do really well this game, I can feel it.” 

Marinette closed her sketchbook. “You say that every game.” 

“And we do well every game.” Adrien intertwined their fingers. “I really love coaching them.” 

“I know.” Marinette paused. “Almost ready, sweetie? You too Alex, let’s go!” 

Her youngest son peeked into the room and then skipped happily over to his parents. He had Marinette’s spectacular blue eyes, something Adrien constantly loved to gush about. His hair was reminiscent of his dad, though. 

Detaching herself from Adrien, Marinette stretched and picked up Alex. “I’ll get him dressed and you can prepare the waters?” 

“On it.” Adrien kissed Marinette and then stepped into the kitchen to fill up water bottles for everyone. While he did that, Marinette carried Alex into the hallway and set him down, putting herself to work stuffing him into a bundle of warm layers, most of which she had created herself. Alex squirmed only a little when she tried to wiggle him into a rather puffy jacket. He insisted that he’d be warm enough, but Marinette knew about the silent killer: wind chill. No amount of frozen gusts were going to get through that jacket. 

Once she was done, Marinette found that Adrien was already helping Emma into her own coat while simultaneously pulling on his own coat, like the determined but not very good multitasker he was. Stifling a giggle at the sight, Marinette grabbed her own coat off the rack and slipped on her shoes. 

“Everyone be careful,” Adrien announced while looking for Emma’s gloves in the shoe organizer, “It’s slippery and windy!” 

“Let’s go!” Emma was always eager when it came to game day. She loved playing, she loved when she would watch her parent’s play together, and she especially loved listening to Aunt Alya commentate on the event. 

It made Marinette’s heart swell to see her little girl share the shame passion for the sport that brought her little family into creation. 

END


End file.
